RAAF Station Tocumwal
Tocumwal, New South Wales in Australia
Site information
Type	Military airfield
Owner	Australian Air Board Australian Defence Force
Operator	Royal Australian Air Force
Location
Tocumwal Airfield Shown within Australia Show map of New South Wales Tocumwal Airfield Tocumwal Airfield (Australia) Show map of Australia
Coordinates	35°48′34″S 145°36′17″E / 35.80944°S 145.60472°E / -35.80944; 145.60472
Site history
Built	February 1942 (1942-02)
In use	1942 - 1960 (1960)
Fate	Abandoned
Battles/wars	Pacific War

RAAF Station Tocumwal (35°48′S 145°34′E / 35.800°S 145.567°E / -35.800; 145.567) was a major Royal Australian Air Force base during World War II. Located near the town of Tocumwal, New South Wales the base was established in early 1942 to provide a secure base for United States Army Air Forces heavy bomber units. While the USAAF does not appear to have used the base, it was heavily used by the RAAF and, from 1944, was home to the RAAF's heavy bomber support and operational conversion units including No. 7 Operational Training Unit.

While RAAF Station Tocumwal was closed following World War II the airfield remains in use and is a renowned gliding site. In the immediate post-WW2 era Tocumwal was used as the RAAF's main aircraft storage and disposal base. Many hundreds of Australian military aircraft made their last flights being ferried to Tocumwal, where they were sold to scrap metal dealers and melted down to ingots in smelters set up on the airfield.^[1]

In February 1942, construction work commenced for an airfield at Tocumwal near the Newell Highway. The project was highly prioritized, and over 7,000 US servicemen were deployed to assist in labour. By May 1942, it was mostly completed, and was named McIntyre Field in honor of Captain Patrick W. McIntyre, who was killed on 5 June, 1942, whilst testing a bombardment aircraft. The airfield was equipped with four 6,000 foot long runways, 70 miles worth of taxiways and road with aircraft dispersals, 5 large wooden hangars to house B-24 Liberators, 450 buildings, ammunition bunkers, engine test bays, and a 200-bed hospital. Subsequently, the United States Army Air Forces began using the airfield. General George Kenney is reputed to have said "Mighty fine base – now shift it 2,000 miles closer to the enemy" during an inspection of the airfield.^[2]

On 9 November, 1942, the Royal Australian Air Force took over operations, and renamed it to Tocumwal Airfield. RAAF Station Tocumwal was officially established. At peak operations, up to 4,500 RAAF personnel and 400 Women’s Auxiliary Australian Air Force personnel were stationed at Tocumwal Airfield.^[2] On 13 September, 1946, Tocumwal Airfield became a care and maintenance unit.^[3]

200 houses from the base were relocated to Canberra in the 1940s to address a housing shortage. The vast majority were relocated to a small precinct in the suburb of O'Connor, and in 2004 were added to the ACT Heritage Register.^[4]

On 1 October, 1960, the RAAF disestablished Tocumwal Airfield as a base, leaving 50 aircraft for disposal organised by the Department of Supply. A closing ceremony was held, and was attended by Captain G. Pither and six officers from RAAF Base Laverton, and 60 Tocumwal residents. The Air Force flag was lowered for the final time at 10:15 AM, and was presented to the Shire County to be displayed at the local memorial hall.^[3] On 15 October, 1960, ownership of the airfield was transferred to the Department of Civil Aviation where it became become a glider field today. The remaining four large wooden hangars were used for storage, including wheat and grain stocks and later a dozen Republic of Singapore Air Force Hawker Hunters acquired by an Australian dealer.^[2]

The following lists the units that were based at RAAF Station Tocumwal:

RAAF^[2]

• No. 7 Operational Training Unit RAAF, October 1943
• No. 5 Operational Training Unit RAAF, February 1944
• No. 7 Aircraft Depot
• No. 7 Central Recovery Depot
• No. 1 Aircraft Depot detachment B, 26 June 1950 - 1 October 1960^[3]

• Michael V. Nelmes (1994). Tocumwal to Tarakan. Australians and the Consolidated B-24 Liberator. Banner Books, Canberra. ISBN 1-875593-04-7

• RAAF Tocumwal: a pictorial review archived version – compiled by Geoff Goodall